Senators Challenge TikTok's 'Alarming' Plan To Collect Users' Voice and Face Biometrics (techcrunch.com) 39
TikTok's plans to collect biometric identifiers from its users has prompted concern among U.S. lawmakers, who are demanding the company reveal exactly what information it collects and what it plans to do with that data. From a report: In a letter sent earlier this month addressed to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Thune, (R-SD) say they are "alarmed" by the recent change to TikTok's privacy policy, which allows the company to "automatically collect biometric data, including certain physical and behavioral characteristics from video content posted by its users."
TechCrunch first reported details of the new privacy policy back in June, when TikTok said it will seek "required permissions" to collect "faceprints and voiceprints" where required by law, but failed to elaborate on whether it's considering federal law, states laws, or both (only a handful of U.S. states have biometric privacy laws, including Illinois, Washington, California, Texas and New York). Klobuchar and Thune's letter asks TikTok to explicitly explain what constitutes a "faceprint" and "voiceprint," as well as to explain how this data will be used and how long it will be retained. The senators also quizzed TikTok on whether any data is gathered for users under the age of 18; whether it makes any inferences about its users based on the biometric data it collects; and to provide a list of all third parties that have access to the data.
TechCrunch first reported details of the new privacy policy back in June, when TikTok said it will seek "required permissions" to collect "faceprints and voiceprints" where required by law, but failed to elaborate on whether it's considering federal law, states laws, or both (only a handful of U.S. states have biometric privacy laws, including Illinois, Washington, California, Texas and New York). Klobuchar and Thune's letter asks TikTok to explicitly explain what constitutes a "faceprint" and "voiceprint," as well as to explain how this data will be used and how long it will be retained. The senators also quizzed TikTok on whether any data is gathered for users under the age of 18; whether it makes any inferences about its users based on the biometric data it collects; and to provide a list of all third parties that have access to the data.
About time (Score:5, Insightful)
prompted concern among U.S. lawmakers, who are demanding the company reveal exactly what information it collects and what it plans to do with that data.
You know what would help with that? Some sort of general data protection regulation.
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The solution is not to hold inquiries and wag stern fingers in peoples faces. We don't need individual companies "promising" to be good. We need actual protections in
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You know what works even better than that?
Just don't use "social media".
Yet another reason not to....
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You know what works even better than that?
Just don't use "social media".
Yet another reason not to....
You're kinda using social media right now.
Communists want to spy on their users?! (Score:5, Insightful)
In all seriousness, these stories should force the issue in Washington: we need general data protections for users, including their biometric privacy.
Re: Communists want to spy on their users?! (Score:2)
Yes.
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Yep.
And where do FB's sympathies lie?
They're only using capitalism to assume a position of power in the current environment.
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China just clamped down on this. ByteDance, tiktok's owner, was singled out specifically.
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"Woke, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC"
I see you've changed the word to Woke now. Wasn't it SJW before? What's next?
Totalitarians want to spy on their users?! (Score:2)
Maybe its time to copy China. (Score:1)
Actually legislate laws regarding data protection and what data can be collected.
F A C E B O O K (Score:1)
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You WILL be data mined (Score:5, Interesting)
Your data will be collected and WILL be data-mined by tech companies. Why is this so hard for dumb politicians to understand?
If only we had federal regulation -- something like a GDPR [europa.eu]. /s How many more scandals of companies selling off personal / private data before enough people get onboard?
The more data you collect (Score:1)
The less likely it is that I am going to use your app/operating system/program.
There is nothing in my house except some old old Xboxes in a closet somewhere that runs anything from Microsoft/Apple...
I've been running Linux on my desktops, laptops and servers for over 20 years (yeah I'm not a gamer)
Er... (Score:4, Insightful)
....but I don't hear Senators complaining about Apple SEARCHING PEOPLE'S PHONES with no consent, authority, warrant, or due process?
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consent, authority, warrant, and due process (har, har, har) do not apply here, because Apple is not the Government. Those restrictions only apply to Federal entities
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Most likely you don't sign a "license" for your house or apartment. You did, however, agree to one for your phone.
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No, they cannot. *you* are the law in that case. Whatever you say is the law inside your own home.
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Are you going to go with the 'those are my pictures, that I took, with a reasonable expectation of privacy, but since they have been distributed to a cloud server (which I think is by default, so I didn't even have to consent affirmatively) then TECHNICALLY they're not my property any longer" hair splitting?
If so, do you think that the police are entitled to, say, search your car when parked in a public lot, or the pockets of your jacket if you leave it in a coat-check?
Re: Er... (Score:2)
Aren't there two recent stories about policy makers doing exactly this?
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The reason is obvious (Score:2)
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Worst biometric data (Score:3)